Facing a significant number of years in prison

The first time I met Ahed Tamimi was when she was 13 years old. I sat in her living room in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh drinking tea with her parents while she and my daughter, then 12, compared dance moves. Now at the tender age of 16, Ahed is sitting in an Israeli detention cell facing a significant number of years in prison. Her crime was that she slapped an armed Israeli soldier with her bare hand.

On Monday, after her most recent court appearance, I spoke with her father. “They are trying to make an example of her,” he said. “They are trying to break her.” The charges against Ahed include such things as assaulting a soldier, throwing stones and incitement. But, her real “crime,” is her refusal to capitulate to military occupation.

Ahed was only 10 years old when her father was sent to prison for organizing peaceful protests. She was 11 when Israeli soldiers killed her cousin, and 13 when they killed her uncle and shot her mother in the leg.

Here are some points for you to use while talking to your friends and family about Ahed’s case:

Ahed has lived her entire life under Israeli military occupation. On a regular basis, she and her family endure checkpoints, night raids, settler land theft and violent attacks from Israeli soldiers.

Ahed and her family want nothing more than freedom and equality for all people.

Ahed is a child and a civilian. She is facing a military court system with a conviction rate of over 99%.

Ahed’s slap of an Israeli soldier with her bare hand pales in comparison to the state and military violence Israel commits on a regular basis with complete impunity.

Ahed’s next court date is Tuesday, January 10. This will be the next opportunity for her to be released on bail pending trial. Israel’s goal is to use Ahed’s imprisonment to break the will and resistance of the Palestinian people. But the worldwide call for freedom cannot be silenced. Please share the image at the top of this email on Facebook and Twitter and join me in demanding Netanyahu free Ahed.

In solidarity with Ahed,Ariel and the entire CODEPINK Team

P.S. New Zealand pop star Lorde cancelled her show in Tel Aviv in support of the BDS movement and the Palestinian people. Send a message to Lorde to thank her for her courage, commitment, and strength!